Ashtray



United States Patent O 3,215,146 ASHTRAY Arnold A. Rasmussen and Gladys I. Rasmussen, Lot 99, Riviera Trailer Village, Pasco, Wash. Filed Apr. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 272,293 4 Claims. (Cl. 131 235) This invention relates to ashtrays and, particularly, to an ashtray that reduces the tendency of cigarettes to continue to smoke after being placed in the same.

Although ashtrays are among the most common objects seen in nearly every home or place where people gather, such as restaurants, hotels, offices, and the like, little, if any, attention has been paid to their design in so far as making these devices safer objects to use by changing their internal shape in a way that will cause a lighted cigarette to go out shortly after being placed in the same.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an ashtray that will automatically extinguish the flame of any cigarette placed in the same, thereby providing a receptacle for use by smokers that will decrease the danger of a fire by a lighted cigarette falling out of the tray'onto flammable material.

Another object of this invention is to provide an ashtray that contains a plurality of pockets, in which the lighted end of any cigarette placed therein will shortly die for want of necessary oxygen.

Another object of this invention is to provide a smokeless ashtray having one or more pockets, in which the lighted end of any cigarette may be temporarily placed until one desires to smoke the same again. The pockets are so shaped that the cigarette will be extinguished in a very short time without causing the same to draw moisture, thus leaving it in a suitable condition for re-lighting and further smoking.

Another object of this invention is to provide a smokeless ashtray that will also permit any cigarette or cigar to be laid across the top of the same in the usual manner when so desired.

Other and further objects and advantages of this smokeless ashtray will be hereinafter described, and the novel features thereof defined in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE l is a top view of one form of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of this invention.

FIGURE 3 is a view along section line 3 3 of FIG- URE 1 illustrating certain features of the invention.

FIGURE 4 is a view along section line 4 4 of FIG- URE l illustrating details of this invention.

FIGURE 5 is a View along section line 5 5 of FIG- URE l illustrating the manner in which a cigarette may be supported according to the invention.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Having reference now to the drawing in detail, there is generally indicated by the character 7 an ashtray that is preferably round when viewed from the top. The ashtray embodies a centrally located recess 8 and a thickened sidewall 9, in which is located a plurality of recesses 10 that are elongated when viewed from lthe top. Each aforesaid recess 10 has a configuration of that of a right triangle when viewed along lines 4 4 of FIGURE l. The short side 11 or end of the recess 10 is slightly concave, while one end of the hypotenuse 12 terminates at the top surface 13 of the ashtray 7. An arc 14 connects the lower end of the aforesaid hypotenuse 12 with the lower end of the short side 11. The aforesaid recess 10 has a variable configuration when viewed at a right angle to that of FIGURE 4. Each aforesaid recess has upwardly diverging Walls and curved sides that have the lCC configuration approximating that of a catenary when viewed in cross section.

This ashtray 7 has a flat bottom 17 and a convex side 18 that has its upper end terminating in a peripheral ridge 19, all of which is shown in FIGURE 3 of the appended drawing. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the aforesaid centrally located recess 8 has sloping sides 20, since this recess is in the form of a polygon.

The inner peripheries 21 of the aforesaid recesses 10 are curved slightly downward in order to permit a cigarette, which is shown in dashed lines in FIG. 5 of the appended drawing, to lie with its lighted end slightly below the horizontal When it is placed crossways on top of the smokeless ashtray 7, from which it Will be picked up again for another smoke. In this inclined position of the cigarette (FIGURE 5) it will receive sufficient oxygen to keep the cigarette burning.

Each elongated recess 10 is of a size that is intended to hold only one cigarette. The curved walls of the recess will automatically guide the cigarette so that one can readily place a cigarette into the proper position as shown in FIGURE 4 of the appended drawing, where it is also seen that the contours of the recesses cause the cigarette to lie with its lighted end but a short distance away from the concave end 11. The cigarette will not receive sutiicient oxygen and will be extinguished. The actual time required for a cigarette to extinguish itself will be predetermined by the depth and shape of the recess. A deep and narrow recess will cause the cigarette to be extinguished in less time than when the recess is wider and more shallow. Actual timing has proven that a cigarette which is extinguished in less than half a minute in a recess of this type; will draw moisture, and such moisture will impart a strong odor and an unpleasant flavor that will render it unfit for further smoking. If the recess is designed to cause the cigarette to continue to burn for a minute and a half, then the cigarette will not draw moisture appreciably and will thus be preserved in good condition for re-lighting and further smoking. If the deeper ends of the recesses are of a depth equal to about twice the diameter of a cigarette, and the width at the widest point is about twice the diameter of a cigarette, as shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, the cigarette will be extinguished in about a minute and a half and will be comparatively dry and suitable for re-lighting. At the shallow ends the recesses 10 taper out to no depth at all as is clearly shown in FIGURE 4. If so desired, an ashtray manufactured according to this specification may be pivotally supported so that it may readily be inverted to discharge its ashes and the like from the recesses into a common container.

It is to be understood that changes of shape and material may be made in constructing an ashtray according to this specification and it will still fall within the scope and intent of the appended claims.

What we now claim as new is:

1. An ashtray of the character described, comprising a receptacle having a thickened side wall having a flat upper surface, means forming a plurality of recesses in the said flat upper surface, the said recesses each having a top view configuration of an ellipse having major and minor axes and a longitudinal sectional View configuration of a right triangle, and means defining a centrally located recess that is deeper than the plurality of recesses in the said fiat upper surface, the said plurality of recesses having upwardly diverging and curved sides that have the configuration approximating that of a catenary when viewed in cross section each of said major axes being arranged so as to be perpendicular to a radius of the ashtray at the mid point of each said major axes.

2. An ashtray of the character described, comprising a receptacle having a thickened side wall having a flat upper surface, means forming a plurality of recesses in the said flat upper surface, the said recesses each having a top view configuration of an ellipse having major and minor axes and a longitudinal sectional view configuration of a right triangle, and means defining a centrally located recess that is deeper than the plurality of recesses in the said flat upper surface, the said centrally located recess having a top view configuration of a polygon and upwardly diverging straight sides, the said plurality of recesses being defined by upwardly diverging and curved sides that have the configuration approximating that of a catenary when viewed in cross section, and the major axis of each of the plurality of recesses being disposed parallel to and radially outward of the adjacent straight side of said polygon.

3. An ashtray of the character described, comprising a receptacle having a thickened side Wall having a flat upper surface, means forming a plurality of recesses in the said at upper surface, the said recesses each having a top view configuration of an ellipse having major and minor axes and a longitudinal sectional view configuration of a right triangle, and means defining a centrally located recess that is deeper than the plurality of recesses in the said flat upper surface, the said centrally located recess having a top view configuration of a polygon and upwardly diverging straight sides, the said plurality of recesses being defined by upwardly diverging and curved sides that have the configuration approximating that of a catenary when viewed in cross section, and the major axis of each of the plurality of recesses being disposed parallel to and radially outward of the adjacent straight side of said polygon and the said ashtray having a convex side terminating in a peripheral ridge at the top of the said side.

4. An ashtray of the character described, comprising a receptacle having a thickened side wall having a fiat upper surface, means forming a plurality of recesses in the said flat upper surface, the said recesses each having a top view configuration of an ellipse having major and minor axes and a longitudinal sectional view configuration of a right triangle, and means defining a centrally located recess that is deeper than the plurality of recesses in Ithe said fiat upper surface, the said centrally located recess having a top view configuration of a polygon and upwardly diverging straight sides, the said plurality of recesses being defined by upwardly diverging and curved sides that have the configuration approximating that of a catenary when viewed in cross section, and the major axis of each of the plurality of recesses being disposed n parallel to and radially outward of the adjacent straight side of said polygon, and the said ashtray having a con- Vex side terminating in a peripheral ridge at the top of the said side, and the inner side Wall of each recess being slightly lower than that of the outer side wall, thereby providing means of holding a cigarette with its lighted end lower than that of the unlighted end thereby causing the cigarette to drop its ash in the centrally located recess.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 48,858 4/16 Feldt et al. D. 120,409 5/ 40 Myers 131-240 D. 125,149 2/41 Donaldson et al.

1,933,196 10/33 Vogelsang 131-235 1,948,025 2/ 34 VCurrier 131-240 2,332,929 10/ 43 Rees 131--240 2,771,080 11/56 Cole 131-240 FOREIGN PATENTS 811,409 8/51 Germany.

SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner'.

JOSEPH S. REICH, ABRAHAM G. STONE, Examiners. 

1. AN ASHTRAY OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, COMPRISING A RECEPTACLE HAVING A THICKENED SIDE WALL HAVING A FLAT UPPER SURFACE, MEANS FORMING A PLURALITY OF RECESSES IN THE SAID FLAT UPPER SURFACE, THE SAID RECESSES EACH HAVING A TOP VIEW CONFIGURATION OF AN ELLIPSE HAVING MAJOR AND MINOR AXES AND A LONGITUDINAL SECTIONAL VIEW CONFIGURATION OF A RIGHT TRIANGLE, AND MEANS DEFINING A CENTRALLY LOCATED RECESS THAT IS DEEPER THAN THE PLURALITY OF RECESSES IN THE SAID FLAT UPPER SURFACE, THE SAID PLURALITY OF RECESSES HAVING UPWARDLY DIVERGING AND CURVED SIDES THAT HAVE THE CONFIGURATION APPROXIMATING THAT OF A CATENARY WHEN VIEWED IN CROSS SECTION EACH OF SAID MAJOR AXES BEING ARRANGED SO AS TO BE PERPENDICULAR TO A RADIUS OF THE ASHTRAY AT THE MID POINT OF EACH SAID MAJOR AXES. 